One Day, One Job » animals

The Nature Conservancy

Willy Franzen — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 14:50:09 +0000

Last night I started watching Planet Earth and ended up staying awake later than I intended. This morning the same channel was on, and I ended up watching documentaries on Yellowstone. There aren’t many things that I find more fascinating than nature, so it’s easy for me to get caught up in these kinds of shows. It’s also why I think the work of The Nature Conservancy is so important. They’re an international non-profit organization based in Arlington, VA that is “the leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people.” The Nature Conservancy was founded in 1951, and since then they have grown their membership to more than 1 million people. The organization’s huge size gives it a ton of power and has enabled it to do some really amazing work.

Nature Over Nurture

Everything that The Nature Conservancy does is rooted in science. They gather facts first, and then they take action on a local and a global scale. That’s why they’ve been able to protect “more than 119 million acres of land and 5,000 miles of rivers worldwide.” What strikes me most about The Nature Conservancy is that they take a “non-confrontational, pragmatic” approach that sets them apart from some other conservation organizations. This may occasionally limit their short-term effectiveness, but it ensures that in the long run The Nature Conservancy will have the respect and legitimacy to continue protecting ecologically important lands and waters. If you want to dig deeper into this topic, you should really check out The Nature Conservancy’s Why We’re An Effective Nonprofit page. There’s a ton more to check out on The Nature Conservancy’s website (like How They Work and Where They Work), but I’ll leave the rest of the research to you. If you like what the organization is all about, check out their Careers page. They have some great opportunities for new or recent grads including (sorry I can’t link to the postings, but it’s a bad applicant tracking system):

Burn Crew Technician (Glyndon, MN or Karlstad, MN or Center, ND or Clear Lake, SD)
Philanthropy Coordinator (San Francisco, CA)
Preserve Management Assistant – Prairie Forest Border Ecoregion (Cushing, MN)
Seasonal Field Representative (Keene Valley, NY)
Human Resources Coordinator (Austin, TX)
Stewardship Field Assistant (Brunswick, ME)
Prairie Recovery Specialist (Watson, MN)
Conservation Coordinator (Anchorage, AK)
Preserve Management / Bison Research Technician (Leola, SD)
Grassland Bird Technician (Minor, ND)
Digital Marketing Programmer Analyst (Arlington, VA)
Stewardship Assistant (Choteau, MT)
Communications Coordinator (Oklahoma City, OK)
Assistant Land Steward (Letts, IA)

If you love nature and want to work at a non-profit, it would be hard to beat a gig with The Nature Conservancy. So take a look at these positions, and see if any are a good fit.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What do you know about The Nature Conservancy?

WildAid

Willy Franzen — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 18:03:46 +0000

The University of Chicago has five job openings that are perfect for recent grads. Check them out here.

I’ve always been fascinated by wildlife. Every time I see a species that I’ve never seen before in the wild, I get excited. So I find it upsetting that so many amazing animal species are in danger of extinction. I realize that some extinction is natural, some is caused indirectly by man, and some is caused directly by man. It’s that last group that is most worrying. There is currently a $5-10 billion worldwide trade in illegal wildlife, yet many wildlife conservation efforts ignore this fact–they invest millions in try to protect the species, but they ignore the demand side. WildAid is a San Francisco, CA based non-profit organization that aims to “end the illegal wildlife trade in our lifetimes by reducing demand through public awareness campaigns and providing comprehensive marine protection.”

Get Wild

WildAid’s programs focus on six specific areas: Sharks, Tigers, Elephants, Rhinos, Marine Protection, and Climate. Much of their work is focused on awareness and advocacy. WildAid teams up with celebrities to deliver their messages. So far they’ve worked with names like Yao Ming, Leonardo DiCaprio, Harrison Ford, Jackie Chan, Kate Hudson, Carmelo Anthony, and a lot of people I’ve never heard of. It’s many of those names that I’m unfamiliar with that are most important. Why? Because they’re stars in their countries–countries that are huge participants in the illegal wildlife trade. So far WildAid has received “well over $100 million (USD) in pro-bono media support,” and I expect that they’ll continue to push their message until “the killing stops.” If you’re moved by WildAid’s message, check out their Jobs page. Their current postings aren’t quite entry level, but you should still take a look at their opportunities to see where you might fit in.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What’s your favorite endangered species?

Petplan

Willy Franzen — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 16:25:34 +0000

You can get insurance for just about anything. In the past we’ve featured companies that insure vocal chords, good (or bad) weather, and cars, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg (the Titanic owners should have bought insurance for that one). Petplan is a Philadelphia, PA based company that offers pet insurance to cover unexpected veterinary care. Considering that animals are getting more and more advanced medical care, the costs of owning a pet are going up. Petplan offers pet owners protection from the double whammy of a sick pet and a big bill. Yet another Inc. 500 company, Petplan has seen 2,207% three-year growth to $18.7 million in revenue.

What’s Your Plan?

There’s no doubt that some people are crazy about their pets. I’m sure there’s some Tumblr blog out there that pokes fun at the ridiculous things people do to pamper their pets. In the grand scheme of things, insurance for your pet actually seems to make a lot of sense. And that’s why it shouldn’t be a surprise that Petplan is growing so quickly. Here’s how their insurance works, and here are some of their case studies. 90% of Petplan’s policy holders renew every year, so that’s a good sign that they’re keeping people and pets happy. If you love animals and can get excited about insurance, then Petplan may be a great place to start your career. If you look at their Jobs page, you’ll see that they have a number of positions posted including Happiness Manager, Claims Adjuster, Claims Administrator, and Claims Service Representative. Petplan looks like a really cool business, and their Meet the Team page shows how pet friendly they truly are.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Would you ever buy pet insurance?

Hamilton Farm Bureau

Willy Franzen — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 15:53:35 +0000

Somehow my Dad and I forgot to get the proper cord to hook up my iPhone to his car speakers. That’s a big mistake when you’re doing two 13 hour drives in less than a week. We really could have used a book on tape considering that NPR is pretty much the only non-music station that comes in reliably in Northern Maine (and the CBC once we get close to the border). I know I’ll catch a lot of flack for this, but I’m not an NPR fan (it bores me to tears, and the CBC is even worse); however, there was a segment this morning that caught my attention. It was on Hamilton Farm Bureau and how they’re having trouble hiring qualified people. Considering that the company is based in Hamilton, MI and has locations across the state of Michigan, you’d think they’d be able to tap into the nearly 20% of state residents who are under or unemployed. Who knew that a cooperative that “sells fertilizer and propane gas, packages and ships eggs, and helps farmers market what they raise” would have so much trouble finding good people?

Cooperate with Hamilton Farm Bureau

I get a lot of complaints from readers who think that I cover too many companies in tech. I realize that a lot of people don’t have the skills for those kinds of jobs, but that’s where the jobs are. I’m waiting for the day that someone e-mails me and asks me about resources for learning the kind of skills that might make them a fit for these kinds of jobs. Hamilton Farm Bureau is facing a similar problem to many tech companies. I guess there just aren’t a lot of people who have strong sales skills and an interest or background in agriculture. If you went to an ag school, you could be a great fit–and if you didn’t, maybe there’s some way you could position yourself to become one.

I must admit that I am a bit frustrated with Hamilton Farm Bureau. Wade Blowers, their COO, was quoted extensively throughout the NPR piece on how the cooperative has had to slow down its growth (they currently have 130 employees and $130 million in revenue) because it can’t find the right people for jobs. He goes on to mention a few ideas for why this might be such a problem (but he never dives into exactly what he is looking for). I have a way better idea than he does. THEY DON’T HAVE JOBS POSTED ON THEIR JOBS PAGE. I’m not joking. They just had a huge PR win for their employment branding efforts, and they are completely unprepared. All they have posted are two delivery positions. I don’t see any postings for sales people who “typically take on a heavy consultative role in the farm.” I don’t see any positions related to agricultural technology. So how you should respond? Do some research. Learn more about Hamilton Farm Bureau and their business. Then track down Wade Blowers and tell him how you can help grow the business. It’s worth a try, right?

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Did you hear the NPR segment on Hamilton Farm Bureau?

Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia

Willy Franzen — Wed, 04 May 2011 16:41:43 +0000

Ever consider a career in teaching? Here’s some info on how to get started.

There’s a long history of poking fun at Martha Stewart, and it started well before she went to prison. There’s just something funny about someone who takes perfection in domesticity as seriously as she does. My family even played an integral role in the satire of Martha with my little sister’s appearance in the parody magazine Martha Stuart’s Better Than You at Entertaining, which was a follow up to Is Martha Stuart Living? (here’s a picture my sister as young Martha Stewart in the parody). We can keep laughing at Martha Stewart, but she’ll always get the last laugh. She has an amazing track record of reaching the top in nearly everything that she has done–from babysitting for Mickey Mantle’s kids to starting a successful catering company in her basement to building a New York, NY based media empire in Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia. Martha Stewart is apparently now worth well over half a billion dollars, and has used her personal brand to build amazing print, television, online, and merchandise properties.

Are You Living?

Whether or not you’re a Martha Stewart fan, you have to be impressed by what she’s done throughout her career. She’s had an amazing ability to stay relevant, and a lot of that has to do with her media strategy. She easily could have settled with a successful catering business, or a popular magazine, or having her own television show, but she didn’t. It seems that she is obsessed with using every channel possible to reach people with her “unique lifestyle content.” That’s what Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia is all about. If you enjoy the Martha Stewart brand and want to work on the media or merchandise side, then you definitely need to take a look at Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia’s Careers page. There are some great opportunities posted in their job listings, and a few seem suitable for new or recent grads including: Assistant Food Editor, PHP Application Developer – Internet Content Management Systems, Front-End Web Developer, Decorative Pillow and Bedding Accessory Designer, Executive Assistant, Freelance Recipe Taster, Retail Merchandising Assistant, Apparel Designer – Martha Stewart Pets and Quilt Designer. You can also apply for an unlisted position if you don’t see something that suits you.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Are you a Martha Stewart fan?

ASPCA

Willy Franzen — Sun, 24 Apr 2011 15:19:37 +0000

Sponsored Jobs: Love restaurants and looking for an entry level job? SinglePlatform has a ton of positions that are perfect for you. They’re our sponsor this week, and you can check out all of their positions here.

As I mentioned on Friday in our post on Russell Stover, I get pretty excited about Easter candy. There’s nothing better than a basket full of jelly beans, peanut butter eggs, marshmallow eggs, and chocolate bunnies. Some people prefer a little more reality in their Easter baskets though. In the past it wasn’t uncommon for people to give real bunnies, chicks, ducklings, and even lambs to their kids as Easter gifts, and I’m sure there are still some people doing it. It’s really cute, but it’s not a good idea unless the family is actually prepared to care for the properly as they grow up. That means most people should leave their bunnies chocolate, their chicks marshmallow, and their lambs… well we’re having lamb for dinner tonight. The The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals typically agrees (maybe not with the lamb part)–they even have a page on Rabbits as Easter Gifts that links to a site called MakeMineChocolate.org. The ASPCA is a New York, NY based non-profit that has aimed “to provide effective means for the prevention of cruelty to animals throughout the United States” since it was founded in 1866.

Calling All Animal Lovers

While the ASPCA may deal with the occasional chick, duckling, or bunny, the majority of their work centers around dogs and cats. These are obviously the most popular and most broadly loved types of pets, but they also are extremely likely to end up as victims of cruelty. The ASPCA not only works to protect these animals in a variety of ways, but they were actually the “first humane organization to be granted legal authority to investigate and make arrests for crimes against animals.” The range of services offered by the ASPCA is quite broad, and your best bet for getting to know them is to browse around their site. Once you get a better feel for the ASPCA, you can check out their Jobs page. They have a number of positions available including Administrative Assistant – Anti-Cruetly Group, Graphic Designer, Humane Law Enforcement, Marketing Assistant, Part Time Animal Care Technician, Part Time Data Verification Assistant, Veterinary Assistant, and Special Event Assistant. It’s like an Easter Egg Hunt! Go find something good.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What do you know about the ASPCA?

Saint Louis Zoo

Willy Franzen — Sat, 19 Mar 2011 14:32:35 +0000

I’m in St. Louis for the weekend, mostly to watch my girlfriend’s little sister’s volleyball tournament, but I’m looking for other cool things to do since it’s my first time here. Yesterday I got to visit the Saint Louis Zoo, which is fantastic. (And I promise I didn’t act like this kid.) I got to see monkeys, giraffes, zebras, lions, penguins, gorillas, elephants, somali wild asses, and a whole range of other animals that I’d never even heard of before. I even got to see the mountain nyala that makes an appearance in the zoo’s logo. I was really impressed with the Saint Louis Zoo—it has a wonderful layout and an amazing collection of animals. The best part, though, was that we got to see feeding time for the grizzly bears. It may sound barbaric, but it was nothing of the sort. We watched as two of the laziest bears that I’ve ever seen would catch oranges in their mouths and then suck out the meat while leaving behind the rind. What made the experience even better was that it was free. Saint Louis Zoo is a “free zoo,” so all you have to pay for is parking.

Don’t Be a Somali Wild Ass

The Saint Louis Zoo got its start with the 1904 World’s Fair, but wasn’t officially started until 1910 that the Zoological Society of St. Louis was established. They eventually chose a site and started acquiring animals. It’s been a huge success, and I think that the Saint Louis Zoo is certainly achieving its mission to “conserve animals and their habitats through animal management, research, recreation, and educational programs that encourage the support and enrich the experience of the public.” You can learn a ton about the zoo by reading up on its history, so do that and then take a look at their Jobs page. They have a number of seasonal positions opening up for spring and summer, along with some great full-time positions. You’ll want to take an especially close look at the following jobs: Membership Assistant, Horticulture Gardener, Keeper – Children’s Zoo, Keeper- Great Apes, Keeper – Invertebrates, and Keeper – Sea Lion Show. It’s a great zoo, so if you don’t apply for a job, at least give it a visit.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Have you visited the Saint Louis Zoo?

Nestle Purina

Willy Franzen — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 18:37:26 +0000

This is a sponsored post for Nestle Purina.

Who else thinks there aren’t enough pets in college? I understand that college students are often stressed, busy, and living in places where animals aren’t permitted, but I’d like to see more pets on campus. My roommates and I had a cat, a bird, a hamster, and an occasionally visiting dog—all of which our landlord didn’t quite know about. We knew we weren’t supposed to have them, but the excitement that the animals constantly brought to the house made it well worth the risk of a $500 fine. I know a few people who decided to get a cat or dog after graduating from college, but most held back because they didn’t know if their work schedule would allow them to give their pets the care that they would need. This isn’t a problem at Nestle Purina, a St. Louis, MO based company (with dozens of other locations) that is a “leader in the pet products industry.” Not only do they offer a pet-friendly workplace, but they also offer a work environment where you’ll be “dedicated to improving the lives of cats and dogs through quality nutrition and care.” You’re probably familiar with a number of Nestle Purina’s brands including Pro Plan, Purina ONE, Dog Chow, Fancy Feast, Friskies, Beggin’ Strips and many more—and I hope your pets are too.

Calling All Animal Lovers

If you’re wondering why there’s a Nestle in front of the Purina name, it’s because of a merger in 2001—they’re not making chocolate flavored dog food. Along with the Purina name, they’ve also held on to the company’s iconic checkerboard logo that you see above. What I like most about Nestle Purina is their commitment to recruiting top talent. For many companies a Jobs page is an afterthought, but Nestle Purina has an entire careers site at NestlePurinaCareers.com. The site provides extremely detailed information on their career opportunities and what it’s like to work for them, so you don’t have to wonder whether it makes sense for you to apply or not. The site include information on Locations, Culture & Benefits, Departments, Company History, and more, but the most important thing for you is their Step One Management Trainee Program. It’s an 18-24 month program that offers opportunities in Engineering (mechanical, industrial, chemical, and more), Food Science, Microbiology, Supply Chain, Occupational/Safety/Health, Packaging Engineering, Packaging Design, Engineering Technology, Human Resources, Information Systems, Computer Science, and Accounting. They even have podcasts that go into great depth about many of these opportunities, and you can also check out their Choosing Your Career Path page and their walk-through of the hiring process.

The Nestle Purina Management Trainee Program is offered in three locations: Jefferson, WI; Davenport, IA; and Bloomfield, MO. Once you’ve completed the program you can expect to relocate to any of Nestlé Purina’s 21 plant locations in the United States. As you can see, Nestle Purina pays a lot of attention to their college recruiting, which is why they were “named by Experience.com and Yahoo!HotJobs as one of the Best Places to Work for Recent Grads in 2010.” They’ve put together some great opportunities for when you graduate, so check them out and Apply for the Nestle Purina Management Trainee Program →.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Have any questions about Nestle Purina? Ask them here and we’ll do our best to get you an answer.

Underwater Adventures Aquarium

Willy Franzen — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 15:52:05 +0000

When I’m doing my daily research and looking for interesting jobs or internships, I often find postings on third party job boards. I’m not a big fan of job boards, so I try to go directly to the employer’s site to get information on the opportunities. Today I was Googling an internship, and the first result was completely unrelated. Luckily, it was a way more interesting internship with Underwater Adventures Aquarium at the Mall of America in Bloomington, MN. It’s the world’s largest underground aquarium, and it’s just the kind of place that you might end up at during a summer vacation road trip. They say it’s like scuba diving without getting wet. There are 1.2 million gallons of water, and there’s a “300 foot-long curved tunnel, complete with a moving walkway that simulates a scuba diving adventure.” Underwater Adventures has sharks, octopuses, jellyfish, and all kinds of fish, and you can watch them all get fed. They even offer birthday parties where you can sleep with the sharks.

Take Your Job Search Underwater

Judging from the excitement that Shark Week generates among my friends, there are plenty of you who would love to work at an aquarium. Whether it’s sharks, sea turtles, boring old fish, or one of their other 5,000 aquatic creatures that get you excited, Underwater Adventures (which will soon be rebranded as Sea Life Centres) is worth checking out. They don’t really have a great About page, so the Wikipedia article on them is the best place to get background information (beyond making a visit, of course). If you like what you see, then you should consider jobs at Underwater Adventures Aquarium. Right now they have positions available that include Animal Interpreter, Box Office Sales, Energetic Mascot, On-site Educator, and Outreach Educator. There are also some more advanced positions in Sales/Marketing. Take a look, hold your nose, and dive in.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Have you ever visited Underwater Adventures Aquarium?

Somark Innovations

Willy Franzen — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 15:43:26 +0000

If you’re anything like me, you’ve run into this problem before. You’re sitting around the house, and your lab mice are frolicking around. One of them starts misbehaving and you need to scold it, but you can’t because you don’t know it’s name. They all look the same, and you are completely clueless as to who the troublemaker is. Ok, I actually don’t have mice in my house, and I hope that you don’t either, but if you’ve ever worked with lab mice you probably know that identifying them is kind of important.Somark Innovation is a San Diego, CA based company that makes that a lot easier. They’ve developed technology called Labstamp that “applies automated tail tattoos for mouse identification.” The tattoos are human readable, permanent, and available with 46,656 unique alpha-numeric IDs.

San Diego Ink

I know that a lot of people don’t love the idea of animal testing, but it’s essential to all kinds of scientific research. Somark Innovations provides technology that makes testing with mice more cost effective and less prone to mistakes. It may seem stupid, but proper identification of lab mice can be absolutely essential to the success of a given study. There’s a version of Labstamp on its way for lab rats, and I’m interested to see how else Somark Innovations uses their technology going forward. Some of the earlier press on Somark Innovations mentions “chipless RFID tattoos,” which sounds really cool, but it doesn’t seem to be mentioned on their site anymore. Somark Innovations also doesn’t mention a Jobs page, but they do note on their Team page that they’re “always looking for more team members, especially engineers” and “if you would like to learn more about joining the SOMARK team, please send a note to LearnMore@somarkinnovations.com.” They are currently looking for a Marketing intern, so it may not be just technical people that they’re looking for.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Would you get a tattoo on your tail?

ARKive

Willy Franzen — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 14:39:45 +0000

I’m up in Michigan for my annual Father’s Day fly fishing trip. The town that I stay in is called Grayling, which is named after a fish. Unfortunately, it’s a fish that I’ll never catch here, because it’s extinct—at least the Michigan population is. Back in the 1800s the entire state of Michigan was logged, and apparently the value of the wood harvested from Michigan during the Gold Rush was $1 billion greater than the gold found in California during the same time. That had some serious environmental consequences, and one of those was the extinction of the Michigan Grayling. The introduction of trout to many of Michigan’s rivers didn’t help either, as they outcompeted the grayling for food. Luckily, we still have populations of grayling in Montana, Alaska, and much of Canada. They’re not completely lost, but there are plenty of species that we’ll never get to see. ARKive is changing it. Not only are they fighting to prevent many species from going extinct, but they’re also documenting the world’s most endangered species so even if they are extirpated, they’ll never be completely lost. ARKive is an initiative of Wildscreen, a UK based organization with an American arm located in Washington, DC.

Get on the ARKive

Beyond having an extremely clever name, ARKive also has an insanely cool website. You can access all kinds of information and media related to species on the brink. For instance, you can take a look at the Kirtland’s Warbler, a bird species that also happens to be native to the Grayling, MI area. You can see everything from pictures to a list of threats to the species. It’s an amazing educational tool that will not only preserve species historically even if they don’t make it, but will also help build support to fight the root causes behind species extinction. ARKive has put together a fascinating resource, and you should really spend some time checking it out. If you really like what you see, you may want to start thinking about a job with ARKive. They don’t have any positions posted right now beyond a volunteer Administrative & Data Entry Assistant posted on Idealist, but you should still reach out to them and see if there’s anything coming in the near future.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What’s your favorite endangered species?

Pilgrim’s Pride

Willy Franzen — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 15:09:37 +0000

It’s Thanksgiving! That means that we’re going to run with the theme and talk about a… chicken company? I know we’re all getting ready to chow down on some turkey, but first we should take a look at Pilgrim’s Pride, a Pittsburgh, TX based company that happens to be our country’s largest chicken producer. Much like how our tradition of Thanksgiving started with one small group and grew to be celebrated by hundreds of millions of people, Pilgrim’s Pride started as a single feed store and grew to be an $8.5 billion company. Unfortunately, Pilgrim’s Pride has hit some problems as of late, as they’re going through a bankruptcy. Still, they couldn’t have a more appropriate name (it came from their founder’s last name) for a Thanksgiving themed post, and they do still appear to be hiring; in fact, they even seem to have turned a profit in their most recent quarter.

Sounds Like Turkey, Tastes Like Chicken

Now, I realize that distressed companies aren’t usually the best places to start your career and that the fact that a company’s name fits in well with a theme like Thanksgiving isn’t a good reason to want to work for them, but I still thinks it’s important to look a little deeper into opportunities that you might typically overlook during your job search. Pilgrim’s Pride is a perfect example. They’re a massive company with more than 40,000 employees, and they appear to be coming out of bankruptcy in the near future. Hopefully, that means that they’ve been able to solve many of the problems that put them in this situation. Chicken production isn’t the sexiest industry, but it’s massively important to our economy (just imagine life without buffalo wings). Pilgrim’s Pride has a few dozen job opportunities posted, and plenty of them appear to be suitable for new grads—especially for those with a background in Animal Science or Food Science. I’ll leave browsing the jobs to you, just make sure you do it before the sleepiness from eating all of the turkey kicks in.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Do you eat Pilgrim’s Pride chicken?

Wildlife Conservation Society

Willy Franzen — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 15:41:20 +0000

I’m a nut about wildlife. I don’t watch Animal Planet all day or anything, but I get ridiculously excited when I see a new species in the wild. My hope is to one day run into a mountain lion in the wild, at least as long as I’m not being hunted. As fanatical as I am about wildlife, I bet I don’t even come close to the people at the Wildlife Conservation Society, a New York City based non-profit. They were founded in 1895 with a “clear mission to save wildlife and wild places across the globe.” Their first major success was aiding the recovery of American Bison, and now they’re working to “protect many of the world’s iconic creatures here and abroad, including gorillas in the Congo, tigers in India, polar bears in the Arctic, and ocean giants in our world’s amazing seascapes.” Beyond doing that, they also run 5 parks in New York City—the Bronx Zoo, New York Aquarium, Central Park Zoo, Prospect Park Zoo and Queens Zoo.

Jobs in the Wild

According to Wildlife Conservation Society’s About page, they’re committed to protecting 25% of the world’s biodiversity. I’m not sure where that number came from, how it’s measured, or what exactly it means, but it sounds like an ambitious goal for a passionate organization. The way that pursues this goal is by focusing on 4 key issues: “climate change; natural resource exploitation; the connection between wildlife health and human health; and the sustainable development of human livelihoods.” With so much on their plate, Wildlife Conservation Society has a lot of job opportunities. You can find all of the information on their Jobs page, where they separate opportunities into New York City Full Time, New York City Seasonal, and Opportunities in the Field. Oddly enough, all of these pages feed into the same job search function. You can narrow down your search by any of the aforementioned categories, or you can just look at all of their job opportunities. You’ll probably want to take an especially long look at the following positions: Development Associate – Operations, Guest Relations Supervisor, Marketing Assistant, Membership Sales Associate, Pathology Technician, Program Assistant – Global Program Development, and Program Coordinator. You can apply for any of these positions online.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Have you ever been to any of Wildlife Conservation Society’s parks?

Shedd Aquarium

Willy Franzen — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 12:13:34 +0000

My parents are in town for the weekend, and I’ve been thinking of fun things to do with them around Chicago. One place that came to mind is Shedd Aquarium. I don’t think that we’ll end up getting a chance to make it there this weekend, but it was certainly a good thought. And once I thought about it, I realized that they’re probably hiring. Shedd Aquarium is much like other aquariums now, but it really stood out when it was opened in the 1930s. The aquarium was founded by John G. Shedd, retired president of Marshall Field & Company, and financed by him with $3 million in gifts. The goal was to bring Chicago up to par with other “cosmopolitan” cities that had aquariums, and by the end of the project Chicago’s aquarium “housed the greatest variety of sea life under one roof.” It also happened to be “the first inland aquarium with a permanent saltwater collection,” which meant that they had to ship millions of gallons of seawater from Florida on trains to provide a proper habitat for the sea life.

Shedd Your Job Search Worries

To this day, I still find it extremely impressive that an aquarium in Chicago can have whales and dolphins. The idea of a Beluga Whale in the heart of the midwest blows my mind. Although now the aquarium is more focused on education than on bringing up Chicago’s status, it’s still a great tourist attraction and a wonderful resource for the city. I’d imagine that Shedd Aquarium is very much like other aquariums in its mission and values, which means that they’ll have similar jobs. Right now they have a number of jobs posted, and a few look like possibilities for new grads. These include Membership Coordinator, Administrative Assistant (President’s Office), Brand Traffic Assistant, and Media Coordinator. You can apply by sending a cover letter and résumé to jobs@sheddaquarium.org.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Have you ever been to Shedd Aquarium?

New Canaan Nature Center

Willy Franzen — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 14:05:17 +0000

Having grown up in Fairfield County, Connecticut, I took at least one school field trip to the New Canaan Nature Center. I think that I was pretty young, so I don’t remember the trip very well, but I do know that I always loved nature related field trips. If you’re not familiar with the idea of a nature center, it’s simply a “visitor center designed to educate people about nature and the environment.” At least that’s what Wikipedia has to say about the topic. New Canaan Nature Center certainly accomplishes that, as they have some pretty awesome facilities. In addition to a Visitor Center, they include a 4000 square-foot Greenhouse, an Education Building and Annex, an Apple Cider House, an Animal Care Building, an Herb Garden and Cottage, Two Observation Towers, Staff Residences, an Arboretum, a Wildflower Garden, and quite a bit more. It’s the perfect place for people to step out of suburban Fairfield County life and get a taste of the nature around them.

Be a Part of Nature… Center

One of the things that I didn’t mention about New Canaan Nature Center’s is their Birds of Prey exhibit. It features seven aviaries, and sounds awesome (maybe it’s just me, but I’m absolutely fascinated by birds of prey). The birds of prey in the exhibit include a Bald Eagle, a Barred Owl, a Common Raven, a Great Horned Owl, a Harris’ Hawk, a Peregrine Falcon, a Red-tailed Hawk, and a Turkey Vulture. If you get even more excited about this stuff than I do, then a career as an Environmental Educator at New Canaan Nature Center might be worth considering. Although they’d like someone with some experience in the field, I’m sure that there are plenty of new college grads who have that type of background. You can apply by sending a cover letter, résumé, and three references to jobs@newcanaannature.org.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Have you ever been to a nature center?

Green Chimneys

Willy Franzen — Sat, 16 May 2009 13:46:18 +0000

Have you ever heard of animal-assisted therapy? Wikipedia defines it as “a type of therapy that involves an animal with specific characteristics becoming a fundamental part of a person’s treatment.” This type of therapy can have all kinds of beneficial effects for a wide array of ailments, and it can be done with animals ranging from dogs to horses to elephants to lizards. Green Chimneys is a Brewster, NY based non-profit organization that “operates residential treatment for children and a special education school” with a large focus on animal-assisted therapy. They’re located on a 200-acre farm, and they’re constantly working towards “restoring possibilities and creating futures for children with emotional, behavioral, social and learning challenges.”

Green Chimneys Is the Place for Me

If you love working with special-needs children and also love animals, then it would be hard to find a better place to work than Green Chimneys. They have a ton of job opportunities available, and plenty of them are appropriate for new grads. You can find the full list on Green Chimneys’ Jobs page; however, I’d recommend that you look for the following jobs: Youth Counselor, Assistant Unit Supervisor, Therapeutic Intervention Specialist (Crisis Intervention), Social Work Supervisor, Speech Teacher, 1:1 Aides, Social Worker (New York City), and Case Worker (Bronx). You can apply by sending a cover letter and resume to employment@greenchimneys.org, so get to know them by browsing their site and see if they’re a good fit for you.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Have you ever experienced any therapy animals?

Rabbit Rescue

Willy Franzen — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 11:33:43 +0000

Happy Easter! Last year we took a look at jobs with Easter Seals to celebrate, and this year we’re going to have even more fun with the holiday theme. I’m a big fan of the Easter Bunny, because he still brings me delicious treats despite the fact that I’m way too old to still be getting anything from him. I’m not sure how rabbits became indelibly tied to Easter, but they are, which is why we’re taking a look at Rabbit Rescue today. They are a Paramount, CA based non-profit, no-kill shelter for rabbits that is staffed and run entirely by volunteers. Yes, that means that landing a full-time job with them might be out of the question, but I couldn’t find any bunny related non-profits that were hiring. In case you didn’t know, there’s a big problem with people who get bunnies as Easter gifts and then fail to take care of them. You can read about it here. Rabbit Rescue is doing great work to save rabbits, but they may be a little short on jobs. Your Easter challenge is to find a non-profit (or even a for-profit company) with better bunny related jobs. Report back in the comments!

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Can you find a better company or organization with rabbit related jobs?

Sea Turtle Restoration Project

Willy Franzen — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 15:56:12 +0000

One of the cooler fly fishing moments that I’ve had was sea turtle related. I was in Costa Rica fishing for sailfish when we trolled past a couple of sea turtles. Immediately a dorado (aka mahi mahi aka dolphin fish) came out from below the sea turtles (they love hanging out under debris… or turtles) and started chasing the hookless plugs that we had let out behind the boat. We teased the fish in to the boat, I cast my fly to it, hooked it, and caught it after an amazing battle. It was a perfect example of how ecosystems work with the fish using turtles as cover to ambush prey. Unfortunately, our experience with sea turtles from the previous year’s trip wasn’t so heartwarming, as another boat from our party came across a turtle that had been tangled in commercial fishing long lines (nothing like what sport fishermen use). Luckily they were able to get the turtle in the boat and cut it free from the tangle of lines, but it was a reminder of how many risks sea turtles are facing out in the wild (see below for a picture of the turtle as it was being rescued). The Sea Turtle Restoration Project is a non-profit organization that is trying to protect sea turtles from these threats of pollution, coastal development, commercial fishing long lines, and shrimping nets.

Who Doesn’t Love Sea Turtles?

As I’ve seen firsthand, sea turtles are both important parts of the ocean ecosystem and at a high risk for extinction. They’re amazing animals to watch in their natural habitat, and they deserve to be protected. You can help protect them by taking a job with the Sea Turtle Restoration Project. Right now they’re looking for a Human Health and Oceans Campaigner “to help save the oceans from industrial fishing and save ourselves from mercury poisoning from contaminated fish: tuna, swordfish, shark.” They’re looking for someone with a background in campaigning, journalism, community or political organizing, lobbying or legal advocacy, so you probably should have worked on some projects on these areas (and really love sea turtles) if you’re going to apply. This is a one year position with a salary in the low to mid 40s and the opportunity for renewal. The job is based about an hour northwest of San Francisco near the Pt. Reyes National Seashore, and you can apply by sending your cover letter and resume to tshore@TIRN.net. There’s also the potential for a part-time Web Activist position if you’re willing to start as a volunteer. The application details are the same as for the previous position.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Have you had any firsthand experiences with sea turtles? Tell us about them.

National Audubon Society

Willy Franzen — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 13:28:48 +0000

John James Audubon painted birds. His seminal work, Birds of America, was a collection of 435 life-size prints. To this day, when you hear the name Audubon, you think of birds. Interestingly enough, John James Audubon had no direct involvement with the founding of the National Audubon Society. Audubon’s widow, Lucy, tutored a man named George Bird Grinnell and some of Audubon’s love of birds must have rubbed off, as Grinnell was one of the Audubon Society’s founders. To this day, the Audubon Society persists in its mission “to conserve and restore natural ecosystems, focusing on birds, other wildlife, and their habitats for the benefit of humanity and the earth’s biological diversity.” The Audubon Society works to achieve this mission through a national network of community-based nature centers and chapters and scientific, educational, and advocacy programs.

These Jobs Are for the Birds

The National Audubon Society has a long list of current job openings in locations all across the country. We scanned over them, and identified all the jobs that don’t list experience requirements for you. The Audubon does a very good job of identifying their desired experience level for each position, so you should be pretty confident that these jobs can be considered entry-level.

There are also quite a few jobs listed that require 2 to 3 years of experience. These may be worth a look, since many of them seem like they could be filled by competent new college grads, but we’ll let you go find them on Audubon’s Jobs page. We should also warn you that one job listing says that the start date is in 2006. We hope that this is a result of a careless copy-paste job, but we have no way of knowing how recently all of these jobs were posted. We couldn’t find much information on what it’s like to work for Audubon, but it probably varies widely depending on location. If you’re a birder, and you’re looking for non-profit work, figure out which of the above jobs you like the best and send your cover letter and resume to HumanResources@audubon.org.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What’s your favorite bird? We like birds of prey like hawks, eagles, and falcons.

Punxsutawney Groundhog Club

Willy Franzen — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 13:00:19 +0000

It’s your biggest fear. You’ll graduate college, get a job, and begin life as Bill Murray in Groundhog Day. Every day will be the same. Different. But the same. Hell on Earth will begin at 22 years old. We don’t want that to happen to you. That’s why we write about a new and exciting company’s entry-level jobs every day. Today’s “job” isn’t much of a job, but you have to forgive us for celebrating one of our favorite holidays. So, if you’re not interested in becoming part of the inner circle of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club, take a look at our Past Jobs or our Online Job Search Blog and start formulating a plan so you don’t end up trapped like Bill Murray. On the other hand, if you’re interested in wearing a stove pipe hat and handling rodents on cold February mornings, read on.

By the time this is posted, Punxsutawney Phil will already have determined whether we’ll be seeing an early Spring or not. Since I have the blog set to auto-post this, and I’m on my way to Costa Rica to fly fish for sailfish right now, I don’t immediately care about when Spring comes, but when I return, I’ll sure be hoping that Phil didn’t see his shadow. With that said, it appears that the inner circle of the club is a more “mature” group of men (no ladies, maybe you can be the first!) who are nearing retirement age, so we figure they need to recruit fresh blood. The good news is that becoming a member of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club is as easy as paying a $10 annual membership fee. Don’t you wish getting a job were that easy? Maybe it will be, joining a club is what we call networking.

Now the Punxutawney Groundhog Club is a non-profit organization that is clearly geared toward maintaining tradition and developing commerce in the Punxsutawney, PA area. They aren’t actually hiring, and we don’t think they even have jobs, but you never know. If you really love groundhogs, have great animal care skills, or look great in a top hat, you might be able to convince them to create a job for you.

One last note: the only requirement for jobs at the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club is that you are bilingual (at least if you ever want to be President of the Inner Circle). You must speak “Groundhogese.”

Note: On April 27th we revisited entry-level jobs at Punxsutawney Groundhog Club.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

How much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?

American Association of Zoos & Aquariums

Willy Franzen — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 13:00:55 +0000

The idea for today’s post came from a television commercial. So, the next time your Mom yells at you for being lazy and watching TV instead of looking for a job, tell her that being a couch potato is part of your job search repertoire. Seriously. We know that a ton of college students are watching TV with a laptop on their lap, and hopefully you’re one of them. If you’re in the right mindset, you’ll realize that no matter what you’re watching, you’ll be absolutely bombarded with new job ideas. Take these ideas, do a Google search, and find a job! You know what? We might just write an article about using the tube to find a job. (Update: We did, here’s The Couch Potato’s Guide to Job Search.)

Besides advertising with TV commercials, the American Association of Zoos & Aquariums is a non-profit organization that accredits – see if you can guess – zoos and aquariums. The AZA and their team of experts ensure that accredited zoos and aquariums meet extremely high standards. “Fewer than 10% of the approximately 2,400 animal exhibitors licensed by the United States Department of Agriculture are AZA accredited,” so their seal of approval isn’t something that they throw around lightly. We looked around the AZA’s website for information about their jobs and couldn’t find anything, but cold calling might be worth a try. On the other hand, the AZA has a wealth of job listings for the zoos and aquariums that they accredit. Since many of the organizations that AZA approves are also non-profits, we thought you’d like to know more about these jobs working with animals.

Now, not all of AZA’s job listings are from non-profits, so if that’s what you’re looking for, you need to look closely at the zoo or aquarium that is actually listing the job. Obviously, Walt Disney World is not a non-profit, but the International Exotic Animal Sanctuary and the Houston Zoo are. Positions in the AZA Job Listings range from Research Analyst to Aquarist. There are also a ton of internships available, which may be a reasonable option for new college grads who want to get into zoology or related animal care fields. Jobs are listed in chronological order, so scroll down to the bottom for the newest listings. Don’t be afraid to visit the websites of the institutions that are listed and look for jobs that aren’t posted on the AZA website. You could even use the AZA’s list as your cold calling list.

Note: On April 27th we revisited entry-level jobs at the American Association of Zoos & Aquariums.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Tell us about your favorite childhood zoo experience in the comments.

Dogs for the Deaf

Willy Franzen — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 13:00:37 +0000

Today’s the last day of vacation for the One Day, One Job team, so we’re going to be pretty brief, but we still think this looks like an awesome job for our dog loving entry-level job searchers. If it’s not evident by their name, Dogs for the Deaf is a non-profit organization that rescues homeless dogs and professionally trains them to assist people who have hearing impairments. You’ve probably heard of “seeing eye dogs,” but there are so many more people than just blind people who can use the help of a canine friend. Sometimes the assistance that these dogs offer can even be life saving.

Beyond dogs for the deaf, Dogs for the Deaf also trains dogs for assisting seniors and other people with special needs. Dogs that are taken from shelters are never returned and always find a wonderful new home, even if they’re not cut out to be a working dog (they call these dogs career changers).

Dogs for the Deaf is currently hiring an Apprentice Instructor to take part in the training of dogs. This is a two-year program that culminates with significant knowledge of the training process for assistance animals. A college education is not necessary, but this job might be the right fit for a dog lover who has ambitions to make the world a better place.

Note: On April 27th we revisited entry-level jobs at Dogs for the Deaf.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Tell us about your dog in the comments section.